Proportion of "good" degrees

Disclosure date: 7 October 2013

Reference: FOI2013/087

Request

1.) For the year 2012/13 (or the most recent year for which the university has records) please give details of the undergraduate degree course at the university with the highest proportion of first class degree awards and provide the percentage.

Also provide the percentage of firsts in this course in 2007/08 (or five years previously).

In 2012/13 the highest proportion of first class degrees: Arabic & Politics (100%). Corresponding figure for the same programme in 2007/8 was 40%.

2.) For the year 2012/13 (or the most recent...) please give details of the undergraduate degree course at the university with the highest proportion of "good" degrees - first class and 2:1 degree awards - and provide the percentage.

Also provide the percentage of firsts and 2:1s in this course in 2007/08 (or five years previously)

In 2012/13 the highest proportion of "good" degrees: Linguistics (100%). Corresponding figure for the same programme in 2007/8 was 87.5%

3.) For the year 2012/13 (or the most recent...) please give details of the undergraduate degree course at the university with the lowest proportion of firsts and 2:1 degree classifications and provide the percentage.

Also provide the percentage of firsts and 2:1s in this course in 2007/08 (or five years previously)

In 2012/13 the lowest proportion of firsts and 2:1s: Law & Social Anthropology (0%). Corresponding figure for same programme in 2007/8 was 100%

Please note that programmes at SOAS can have very small numbers of students and therefore percentages can be misleading.

Response

1.) In 2012/13 the highest proportion of first class degrees: Arabic & Politics (100%). Corresponding figure for the same programme in 2007/8 was 40%.

In both 2007/08 and 2012/13 there were 5 students or fewer on the Arabic & Politics course.

2.) In 2012/13 the highest proportion of "good" degrees: Linguistics (100%). Corresponding figure for the same programme in 2007/8 was 87.5%

In 2012/13 there were 6 students on the Linguistics course. There were 8 in 2007/08.

3.) In 2012/13 the lowest proportion of firsts and 2:1s: Law & Social Anthropology (0%). Corresponding figure for same programme in 2007/8 was 100%

In both 2007/08 and 2012/13 there were 5 students or fewer on the Law & Social Anthropology course.

Where the number of students is particularly low (ie 5 or fewer), these are being withheld under the exemption set out at section 40(2) and section 40(3)(i) of the Freedom of Information Act. This exemption protects personal information where its disclosure would contravene any of the data protection principles. It is SOAS’s view that this information is personal information because if this information was put together with other knowledge held by some members of the public (notably members of the SOAS community or friends or relatives of the people affected), individuals could be identified and personal information relating to them thereby disclosed. Given the low numbers involved, it is likely that individuals could be identified in this way. Information disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act is effectively disclosed to all, so this possibility has to be considered. SOAS believes that disclosure would breach the first data protection principle as students who enrol with SOAS would not expect SOAS to disclose details about them. It would therefore be unfair to disclose further details that could allow them to be identified.